One type of photographic processing assembly is known as a minilab. A typical minilab has three sections. The first section is a printer where negatives are exposed to photographic paper to record latent images on that paper. The exposed photographic paper is then fed into the second section, or processor. In the processor, the paper is treated with processing chemicals to develop the latent images so as to produce stable prints. The stable prints are then fed to the third section of the minilab, the dryer, where excess moisture is removed from the prints. As the exposed paper is being developed in the processor, the processing chemicals are consumed and have to be replenished. Sensors in the minilab monitor the amount of photographic paper that is processed through the normal processing path of the minilab and appropriate replenishment of the processing chemical solutions.
One of the major advantages of a minilab of the type described above is its simplicity of use. Essentially, provided that the machine is set up correctly and operating correctly, all an operator needs to do is feed photographic negatives into the printer and remove finished prints from the dryer. The operator does not need to handle anything other than the negatives and the finished prints. The processing of the negatives into prints can be highly automated allowing relatively unskilled operators to work the machine. This advantage, however, is in some respects a disadvantage. A minilab lacks flexibility, since it is dedicated to producing prints from photographic negatives and cannot be used to produce prints from other sources such as a photo-CD or an electronic camera.
The above-noted copending U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,215 addresses this drawback by providing for an adapter that allows an existing minilab to accept paper from other printing devices without having to make any modifications to the minilab. This adapter allows a roll or web of exposed photographic paper to be fed from a cassette or magazine directly onto the processor via an alternate entry to the processor which is separate from an entry to the printer. This processor entry can be the test strip feed slot of the processor. The paper stored in the cassette of U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,215 may have been exposed to images from various sources such has photo-CDs, or an electronic camera, using a device such as a Kodak CRT Color Digital Printer. Because the adapter of this application utilizes the processor entry point, which can be a test strip feed slot, no adjustments have to be made to the printer of the minilab.
However, a drawback to the arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,215 is that since the alternate feed slot is utilized, normal operation of the processor is prevented. As a result, normal sensors which obtain information on paper, such as paper size and/or width, and assure the correct paper is being fed, also provide appropriate information for controlling replenishment based on the information obtained from the photographic paper passing through the normal processing path. Utilizing the alternate feed slot avoids obtaining this information.
It is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,121 to utilize an adapter designed for placement with the normal feed slot, allowing different size photosensitive materials to be utilized with the device. However, a drawback with this arrangement is that the photosensitive material must pass through the entire printing section and the printer must be disabled, which otherwise could adversely affect the photosensitive material passing there through. Thus, there exists a need for providing a method and apparatus which allows use of the alternate feed slot while still obtaining the desired information required for maintaining appropriate operation of the processor, and in particular, to continue to provide the proper replenishment to the processing solution being utilized.